Ancient Stones

Book excerpt: The meeting assembled an interdisciplinary group of nearly 50 archaeologists and art historians, geologists and geochemists from the U.S.A. and 14 European and Near Eastern countries to discuss the provenance, quarrying, transport and use of stone from prehistoric to early Christian times, both in Europe and in the Near East. The papers which reflect a merger between classicism and geotechnology, thus deal with (1) quarries from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine period, their technology and organization, (2) quarry prospection through satellite imaging, (3) dressing of artifacts near the quarries, (4) trade, availability and archaeological use of certain stones in antiquity, (5) determination of obsidian, flint, granite, marble, limestones, sandstones and arkoses from Europe, Asia Minor and the Near East by means of petrological and chemical analysis, trace element analysis, electron microprobe and stable isotope analysis, ESR spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray powder diffradtometry, mercury porosimetry, cathodoluminiscence, light diffustion from laser-irradiated stones, computer assisted assessment of coloured stones or amulti-method appraoch, and (6) provenance determination applied to ancient artifacts.The volume is highly recommended for those who wish to combine a journey into classical scholarship with geochemical sciences.